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Updated: June 8, 2025
And she went through the door with a transfigured face. The Duke shut the door and leant against it, listening anxiously, breathing quickly. There came the bang of the front door. With a deep sigh of relief he left the door, came briskly, smiling, across the room, and put the card-case back into the pocket of Guerchard's cloak.
Sonia made a couple of steps toward the door, turned, hesitated, came back to the couch, and picked up her cloak. There was a sudden gleam in Guerchard's eyes a gleam of understanding, expectation, and triumph. He stepped forward, and holding out his hands, said: "Allow me." "No, thank you," said Sonia. "I'm not going to put it on."
"The Republican Law, M. Formery? I am a Royalist," said the Duke, smiling at him. M. Formery shook his head sadly. "I was wondering," said the Duke, "about M. Guerchard's theory that the burglars were let in the front door of this house by an accomplice. Why, when they had this beautiful large opening, did they want a front door, too?"
Guerchard's head popped up above the window-sill: "My dear M. Formery," he said, "I beg that you will not take the trouble." M. Formery's mouth opened: "What! You, Guerchard?" he stammered. "Myself," said Guerchard; and he came to the top of the ladder and slipped lightly over the window-sill into the room. He shook hands with M. Formery and nodded to the inspector.
And he thrust his hand into the breast of Guerchard's coat, and tore out the pocket-book. "Throw it on the table!" cried Lupin. Bonavent threw it on to the table; and it slid along it right to Lupin. He caught it in his left hand, and slipped it into his pocket. "Good!" he said. And then he yelled ferociously, "Look out for the bomb!" and made a feint of throwing it.
He ran to Guerchard's cloak, took the card-case from the inner pocket, went to the writing-table, and sat down. He took from his waist-coat pocket the permit which Guerchard had given him, and a pencil. Then he took a card from the card-case, set the permit on the table before him, and began to imitate Guerchard's handwriting with an amazing exactness.
The Duke stood listening with all his ears. Directly he heard the sound of Guerchard's heels on the floor, when he dropped from the chimney-piece of the next room, he went swiftly to the door, opened it, and went out. Bonavent was sitting on the chair on which the young policeman had sat during the afternoon. Sonia, in her hat and cloak, was half-way down the stairs.
"Oh, nothing, your Grace ... nothing ... there's been a mistake," stammered Bonavent. "A mistake?" said Lupin haughtily. "I should think there had been a mistake. But I take it that this is Guerchard's doing. I'd better deal with him directly. You two can go." He turned to Charolais and added curtly, "Show them out."
Guerchard and Dieusy dashed at the doors of the opening of the lift-well, pulling and wrenching at them. Suddenly there was a click; and they heard the grunting of the machinery. There was a little bump and a jerk, the doors flew open of themselves; and there was the lift, empty, ready for them. They jumped into it; Guerchard's quick eye caught the button, and he pressed it.
"Always Lupin!" said M. Formery contemptuously. There came a knock at the door, and a footman appeared on the threshold. He informed the Duke that Germaine had returned from her shopping expedition, and was awaiting him in her boudoir. He went to her, and tried to persuade her to put in a word for Sonia, and endeavour to soften Guerchard's rigour.
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